Heart of Wade
by JesseElena
Summary: The series of Hart of Dixie told through the voice of Wade Kinsella.  One chapter of the story equals one episode of the show.  Updated: Every Thursday by 10:00pm PST.
1. The Beginning

Heart of Wade - Ch. 1 - The Beginning -

Bluebell, Alabama's resident bad boy, Wade, was not really all that bad. Just because he didn't go to church every Sunday or act as "proper" as Bluebell's golden boy, George Tucker, didn't mean he was a bad guy. Plenty of his ex-girlfriends would disagree, but it was the honest truth.

He worked hard and paid his rent to Lavon Hayes, the town mayor and his best friend. Yes, Wade's job was bar tending at the Rammer Jammer, but did that make him a drunk? No. Wade Kinsella was not, and never would be, the town drunk. That honorable title belonged to somebody else. The most Wade ever drank was a few beers.

He was doing exactly that one August afternoon after work when he saw George Tucker drive by. He didn't think much of it until he saw a woman step down from the truck. This was not Lemon Breeland, George's fiance. Lemon was tall, pale, blonde, and dressed like she lived in the '50s. This woman was short, tan, brunette, and was wearing a pair of the shortest short-shorts that Bluebell had ever seen. What in the world was George doing with her. And who the hell was _she?_

Wade watched George get her suitcase down from the bed of the truck and hand it to her. She smiled and starting flirting with him...and - Wade chuckled - George was flirting back! Right in the middle of town. Bluebell would have a field day with this, that's for sure, and George would have hell to pay with the Breeland's tonight.

Wade finished off his beer just as the mysterious woman walked away from George. He watched George get in his truck and drive toward the Breeland house, then turned to see the woman staring defeatedly up at the town's medical practice. With a sigh that Wade could see from across the town square, she opened the gate, walked up the steps, and disappeared into the depths of the old building.

Later that day, Wade was sitting in the kitchen of Lavon's mansion eating a sandwich. Lavon walked through the door, spotted Wade, and was about to say something when he was interrupted.

"You're outta mayonnaise," Wade said thickly through a mouthful of bread, pointing at the empty jar on the marble counter top.

"Cool. Listen, I need to tell you something," Lavon began. He waited for Wade to acknowledge him, but when he just blinked, Lavon continued, "You won't be able to run that fuse box's power to the limit anymore."

"What?" Wade spluttered, putting down his sandwich, "Why?"

"Because you're not the only one using it anymore. Dr. Zoe Hart of New York City is gonna be living in the Carriage House. And since the Carriage House and the Gatehouse share a generator, you have to play nice with the electricity."

"Who?"

"Zoe. Hart. She just got in today. Harley left his half of the practice to her and she needed a place to stay."

"Wait. Was she the one who got a ride into town with George? Tiny? Brunette? _Short_ short-shorts?"

"Yep, I guess that's her."

"_She__'__s_ a doctor? Jeez, Lavon, I'd let her check me out anytime, sick or not."

"Oh, no. No, no, no, Wade Kinsella. You listen hear," Lavon said fiercely, "You are not going to screw Zoe over like one of your trashy girlfriends. She's a nice lady and could really do Bluebell some good."

"Aw, Lavon...," Wade started whining.

"NO, Wade. As mayor of this town, I'm putting my foot down."

"Fine. Whatever you say, Mayor Hayes. I won't fuck with your precious Doc. Unless she wants it. Kidding!" Wade added when Lavon gave him a withering look.

"Thanks, Wade."

Wade didn't hear anymore about Miss - sorry - _Dr._Zoe Hart for the rest of the day. When he still hadn't met her by that evening, he decided he would _make_ her meet him. Rock Band was known to blow out the fuse box back when it was just him. Now that Zoe was here, their combined electricity usage should make that happen twice as fast. She would come storming over and there ya go! The plan was perfect. Now, to implement the Haley twins. The Haley twins weren't really twins. They just looked a hell of a lot like eachoher. And they were best friends. Whose names were both Haley. Fate had a weird sense of humor. Anyway, they were not known for their brains. They were known for their slutty ways. Wade might even get something physical at the end of the night. He called them during the last couple hours of his shift.

"Hey, Haley," Wade said, making his voice low and sexy.

"Wade? Oh my God!," one of the twins - he didn't know which - shrieked," Hi!"

"I was wondering if you and Haley wanna come over tonight. Maybe play some Rock Band again. To start off the night, I mean," he growled.

"Yeah! Totally," Haley said, trying hard to sound sexy.

"Awesome. How bout you two stop by 'round 10? I get off at 9:30 so I should be home by then," Wade suggested, checking a clock on the wall of the Rammer Jammer. It said it was 7:48pm.

"Okay, Wade. We'll see you then. Byeeee!" Haley squeaked, drawing out the "e", then hung up the phone before Wade could say a thing. He put the phone back down, smiling to himself. His plan was in motion.

"Hey girls!" Wade greeted as the Haley twins came tumbling over the threshold.

"Wade!" they squealed and squeezed him tightly. He peeled them off, grinning, and said, "So, who's ready to play?"

An hour later, the fuse box was still working and Zoe had yet to come over. He paused the game ("Awww, Waaaddeee!") and walked around the Gatehouse ("Where are you going?"), turning on lights (Scared of the dark? We can fix that."). Then, he came back to the t.v. and turned the volume up as loud as it would go.

"Let's go, ladies."

Halfway through the first song, Wade watched as the lights flickered in his house and the power completely went out in the Carriage House. He couldn't hear anything over the music from the game, but he smiled anyway. Dr. Hart was on her way.

Sure enough, at the end of the song, Wade heard a banging on his door. He ignored it, letting the volume of the music be his excuse. Finally, she gave up and stormed in. Wade put on his best "you love me" smirk and turned toward the door.

The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen stood before him. He hadn't gotten a good look at her before, but good _Lord!_ she was sexy. He barely managed to keep the smile on his face. All his mouth wanted to do was drop open at the sight of her. Well, his mouth wanted to do other things to her, but doing those things would surely get him slapped.

"You overheated the generator!" she yelled at him as if he were an idiot. There was fire in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Wade looked her up and down without changing his face.

"Nice nightgown! I'm Wade," he said smoothly, both the Haley twins still flailing their arms around behind him.

"Well, that smile might make all the girls at the church social swoon, but it's not gonna work on me," she fired back, shaking her head.

"Well," Wade said, grinning even more while swaggering over to lean on the doorway beside her, "If you're not gonna be polite, I'm not gonna show you where the fuse box is. Night." With that, he turned to go back to his game before he did something stupid. Like kiss her.

"Come on, ladies! Keep it goin'! I'm just gettin' warmed up now!"

Wade looked over just in time to see the back of Zoe storming out of his house.

Much of the next day was just as boring as the previous day, but when Shelly came running up to him during work, he knew something was about to change.

"Wade! Did you hear what Dr. Hart did?," Shelley asked excitedly.

"No, what happened?" he said, suddenly worried.

"She signed Old Man J's eye exam papers!" she squeeled, practically bouncing up and down to contain her enthusiasm.

"She did _what?_" Wade nearly shouted, putting down the rag he'd been wiping the bar with.

"That's not even the worst of it! Old Man J ran someone down!"

"Jesus. Who was it?"

"Guess," she said, irritatingly.

"Damn it, Shelly, just tell me," Wade was terrified it might have been Zoe. He didn't know why, but he had an irrational part of his heart that had started to care for her.

"Well. Aren't you grumpy today. He ran over George."

"George Tucker?"

"Is there any other George that's important?"

"Wow."

Wade left work that night, wondering if he should stop by Zoe's to help her feel better. It was her first day and she'd nearly killed someone. She couldn't have been feeling very good. Going down the driveway in his red muscle car, he realized he didn't need to drive to Zoe's. She was stumbling along the roadway with a box of wine in her hand, finally sitting down and gulping down cupfuls of it. He slowly made his way alongside her and stopped.

"Nice first day," he called out the open window, "Everyone knows Old Man J memorized the eye chart."

"Don't you have some cows to tip? Waaade," she said drowsily.

"Ooohh," he said, faking hurt feelings, then leaned over to look at the wine box on the ground, "Look at you, girl. Drunk as a boiled owl. I'd offer to give you a ride...but I don't want ya gettin' any ideas." She looked at him sideways with one hand over her eyes. When he grinned back, she looked thoughtfully confused.

Two minutes later, Wade found himself kissing her hungrily from the passenger seat. He couldn't touch enough of her and pulled her over to sit on his lap while pulling off her sweater. He reclined the seat and was taking off her shirt when the sound of "Dixie" (his horn) sounded through the air.

She leaned back, both of them breathing hard. She sighed, breathlessly.

There it is. Rock bottom," she said, looking down. Wade pushed back a few strands of her hair, waiting for her to continue, "I just played 'Dixie' with my butt...This never happened, you hear me?"

"My lips are sealed, Doc," he said, regrettably. He wanted everyone to know. She looked relieved, though, and clumsily tried to get out of the car.

"Okay..lemme out...," she sounded near-tears, so Wade unlocked the car, no matter how much his body was telling him to not let her go. He watched as she climbed out the door in her tiny ass short-shorts and felt his heart break as the door closed.

* * *

><p>Hi anyone who's out there!<p>

I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've taken the time to actually read all the way to the bottom! You know what would be even more great?

Posting a review! Please! Anything, even just a single word comment is very appreciated!

Thank you again!

J.E.D.


	2. Parades & Pariahs

There is an event that happens, usually in the summer or fall, in almost every small town in America. It's name is Founder's Day. Bluebell was no exception from this rule. The Founder's Day Parade was one of the biggest events during Bluebell's festivities and everybody pitched in to help make the floats and decorations perfect. The mayor's float was the most important (and best) one of all and Wade, as the mayor's best friend, was enlisted to help make it.

Near the end of September, a few days before Founder's Day on October 1st, Wade had still not started that damn float. Which was not a thing Lavon Hayes would like to hear. He decided the best thing to do would be to go down to the Rammer Jammer, drink a few beers, and maybe get some inspiration through his slight buzz. That should work, right?

As he parked his car in the lot, a group of men and women dressed up for Founder's Day practically danced by him, taunting him for having not started the float yet.

"Oh, my God," thought Wade, "Founder's Day's hauntin' me."

He waited until they were a good twenty feet in front of him before he continued his entrance into the Rammer Jammer. Before he had gone three feet inside, he was called over to a table by...oh..Lavon. If he asked about the float, Wade would have to do some fast talking.

"Wade, my boy," Lavon smiled, "How's the float comin'?"

Shit. Okay, Wade. Think of something. Quick!

"I'm just, uh, puttin' on the finishin' touches."

Yeah. Just like that. Perfect.

Lavon seemed to buy it and gave Wade a big smile. His damn conscience made an appearance yet again. He would work through the night, if he had to, to get that float done. Wade looked around for something to talk about and noticed Zoe sitting at the table. He'd been so consumed with panic about Lavon finding out he hadn't started yet, that he hadn't even noticed the lovely lady.

Shelley had told Wade just this morning that Zoe was the illegitimate daughter of Dr. Wilkes! He couldn't imagine how she must have been feelin'.

"So, Doc. Hear you're stayin' in town," Wade began, smoothly, with a megawatt grin, "You ever need a cup of sugar...anything..I'll be right next door."

She smiled and batted her eyelashes, saying, "If that line ever works for you, you tell that poor girl to come visit my office, so I can dispense the penicillin."

Wade chuckled and nodded, replying, "Sure thing."

Her family issues didn't seem to be showing on the outside. Zoe was feisty and strong and didn't let people get to her and he loved that about her.

As Wade was walking up the path to Lavon's kitchen that afternoon, Zoe came bursting out the door, looking very determined. He grinned at her and she just rolled her eyes, made a sharp right, and began walking toward her house.

"Hey, Lavon. What's up with that girl?" He asked as he walked in the kitchen.

"She's too stubborn to agree that the only way to fix her latest medical mistake," said Lavon, putting the finishing touches on his sandwich, "is to ride on my float in the parade."

"What'd she do now?" inquired Wade, sliding Lavon's plate toward himself. Before he could pick it up, Lavon scooted the sandwich back toward himself, saying:

"She misdiagnosed Cole Maliska. She thought he had Gillanbory or something. I guess it's a really bad thing and people usually die from it. She called an ambulance, but before it got there, Brick walked in, took one look at him, and fixed him right up. Cole just had tick paralysis."

"Tick paralysis? That's it? Jeez, that girl probably scared Cole's wife half to death," Wade said, laughing.

"I know, it's funny, but Zoe's mortified. I told her that the only way to get into the people's hearts is to let them know she wants to be one of them," said Lavon, taking a big bite out of his sandwich.

"And how's she gonna do that?"

"Well, she's gonna do it two ways. The first is that she agreed to help make the float, so you'll have a helper for whatever work you still have to do," Lavon said. Wade didn't make eye contact.

"Okay, what's the other way?"

"By riding on my float as the Yellowhammer," replied Lavon matter-of-factly. Wade blinked. Before a complete two seconds had passed, he was roaring with laughter, shaking the stool he was sitting on.

"You're serious?" Wade managed to ask, through his tears.

"Lavon is dead serious. Once the people see her up there, in all the Yellowhammer's glory, they'll love her and patients will start pouring into her office."

"And she agreed to this?"

"Well...no. That's what she's being stubborn about. She doesn't want to dress up as a bird. But she'll come 'round."

"Right. We'll see how that works out," chuckled Wade, standing up, grabbing the last of Lavon's sandwich, and practically skipping out the door.

Wade spotted Zoe sitting at the bar, blowing bubbles in her drink. He loved the spark her eyes made when she was annoyed, so he figured now would be a good opportunity. He walked over, while throwing down the rag he'd been wiping down the bar with.

"Oh, hey, Doc. I'm glad you're here. My head - my head has just been _killin'_me today," he said, leaned against the counter. She looked up, pursing her lips.

"So?"

"So? So what are you doin' just sittin' there? Call the hospital! I must need brain surgery!" exclaimed Wade. Everybody sitting at the bar roared with laughter. Zoe sighed and sat up.

"Okay, alright, we don't get _ticks_ in New York City, okay," Zoe said, turning around in her seat to address the rest of the bar. As she twisted around to face Wade again, she added, "Kinda like how you guys don't get movies that aren't made by Michael Bay!".

Everyone around her and Wade reacted with loud Ohhh!'s and looked to see what Wade would say back. Before he could say anything, though, she was standing up, grabbing her bag, and throwing up her arms. "It was an innocent mistake!", she said, before walking out of the Rammer Jammer.

"Lord, Wade, she sure is somethin'," a man at the bar remarked.

"Sure is pretty," said the always-young-looking Tom Long, nearly falling out of his seat staring at the door Zoe had just left through.

_Pretty? Try supermegafoxyawesomehot_! thought Wade. Even though he knew Tom didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with Zoe, he still felt the boiling jealousy within him.

That's how Wade found himself sitting outside a barn, on a hay bale, drinking a beer, and waiting. Lavon had offered to let Zoe ride on the float. All she had to do was help make it...and she was late. The float was just sitting there, waiting to be decorated and the decorations were just sitting there, waiting to decorate. Jeez, that girl liked to upset people.

At that moment, Zoe came around the side of a tractor. She stumbled a little when she saw how little had been done to the float. With eyes wide open, she called to him, "You barely started!".

Wade grinned. She was annoyed. Perfect opportunity to rile her up some more. He stood up and walked by, saying, "Mm, well I heard I was gettin' a helper. Figured I'd wait. I do remember how capable those hands of yours are."

She turned around and said disgustingly, "Ugh. We just kissed! All I did with my hands was go, 'Why am I so stupid'." She punctuated each word with a slap to her forehead. She stopped mid-slap, though, and looked over Wade's shoulder. Wade looked backward and noticed George looking at them sideways. Of course. She had the hots for Golden Boy George.

"That why you stopped our little frolic the other night?" he asked, all traces of joking gone, "You got googly eyes for Golden Boy George?"

"I stopped our little frolic," she said, all traces of her sass completely present, "because I was half-crazed, full drunk, and your breath smelled like generic beer." Ouch. That hurt. "Can we just build this and get it over with?" She looked around at the tools and decorations, "What is all this chicken wire for?"

Wade decided to look past the insult and move on. He moved over to lean against the hay bales next to where she was standing. "You never built a float before?" he asked, taking a sip from his "generic beer."

"Is that surprising?" she replied, sounding honestly curious.

"Well," Wade said, putting down his beer and taking the blueprints out of his pocket, "This is what Lavon wants. It's, uh, a red wave. An actual crimson tide. The mayor will surf it." He handed the papers over to her and picked up his beer again, backing away. "I'm gonna, uh, run and get some paint. Think you can handle that?"

He walked away with her looking slightly dazed and confused. Almost like a deer in headlights. It was a little bit cute.

Many hours later, Wade was sitting at home, playing guitar. No, he hadn't gone back to help Zoe. Little Miss New York City can do everything on her own, after all. Plus, she had George to help her. They were probably finishing up right about now. She would flutter those long eyelashes at him and thank him. And George, the gentleman, would tip his hat and say, "It wasn't any trouble, ma'am."

The jealousy that consumed Wade right then almost made him break the strings on his prized instrument. He had to do something - anything - to get her attention away from George and onto him.

For some reason, Wade liked Zoe. There wasn't any way around it. Wade liked Zoe and he had to have her. But how did he do that? Women usually threw themselves at him, so all he had to do was pick. He never had to work for his girlfriends. That's what made Zoe different. That's why Wade HAD to get Zoe.

Halfway through one of his favorite songs, he heard stomping up the porch steps outside. Ahh, he thought, she's here. Sure enough, she appeared in his open doorway seconds later.

"I should have known you would try to pull a stunt like this," She said, sounding incredibly upset. She walked across the room and stopped in front of Wade, who was still playing, "You are the most irresponsible person I've ever met."

He grinned and muttered, "You seem a bit more upset than the situation calls for, Doc," he looked up at her and cocked his head, "It is just a parade."

He watched her grind her teeth and take a big breath.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it's the Founder's Day Parade," she said, crossing her arms, "Lavon is counting on us. I'm counting on us!"

He looked at her and sat up, putting the guitar pick in his mouth as he set his beloved guitar aside. She continued speaking as he held the guitar pick against his mouth.

"For some reason, I need the people to think that I fit into this town. Or I can't get patients. And I will lose the practice that I inherited only four days ago!"

He stood up (wow, he was much taller than her. He'd never really gotten a good look). She was still on a roll. Zoe didn't seem to be speaking to him, but more to herself.

"And ruin my dead father's legacy! Not to mention, the fellowship I have worked for my entire life and -" Enough was enough. He leaned down and kissed her, putting a hand at the back of her neck and in the small of her back. She kissed him back with both hands on his biceps for a second, but then pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"Well, you were freakin' out! I thought I'd snap you out of it with my generic beer breath," he said sarcastically, letting go of her. He walked by her as she looked at him with a completely stunned expression.

Turning around, he looked at her like she was nuts, "What are you gapin' at? We got a float to build, don't we? Come on!"

With that, he walked out of the house, down the steps and got into his car. He watched her wipe her lips and stare into space, thinking.

Excellent, he thought to himself, she was thinking about him.

"Frederick Dean..He has two first names..I mean, somethin' about that is just so old school cool," sighed Rose Hattenberger. In a minute, Wade was going to shoot himself with the stapler gun. All he had been hearing about for the entire night was this Frederick Dean kid. Rose had a huge crush on this guy for some reason and he, apparently, didn't know she existed.

"And, ohemgee, I saw he was readin' Chew the other day. That's like my favorite comic book, but I didn't know how to tell him," she said, shaking her head.

Wade was fed up. Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, "Kid, do I look like iCarly to you? If I hear the name Frederick Dean one more time, I'm gonna hot glue your lips together."

She gave him a deeply condescending look and asked dramatically, "Where is your sense of romance?"

"What happened?" asked a voice from behind them. They both looked toward the entrance to the barn.

"You fell asleep," explained Rose to Zoe, who had evidently just woken up, "Good shot for the Bluebell Blog, though." Rose made sure to snap a picture, capturing Zoe in all her morning beauty. Well, he thought she looked sexy with her hair all messed up like that, but Zoe was bound to think she looked hideous. Women always thought they looked bad in the morning.

"Very doctoryly," teased Wade, jumping down from the float and offering his hand to Rose, who jumped down, too.

"You guys," said Zoe, looking at the float and sounding awed as Rose and Wade walked over to stand by her, "It looks..."

"Astonishing," boomed a deep voice from behind them. Lavon stepped in between Zoe and Wade, admiring the float. He laughed giddily, "Wooh! It's better than I could have imagined. Wade, my friend, I knew I could count on you."

He walked by them and turned to face the tired three.

"And Rose Hattenberger. Well, since you are joinin' us on the float, will you do me the honor of wearin' the Alabama costume?"

"That is a GREAT idea!" Zoe piped up immediately. Rose looked beyond excited.

"Wow! Ye-es! I'd..be honored," she said, smiling.

"Good," Lavon said, "Why don't I take y'all out for some pancakes to celebrate the big day?"

"Yes! I am starviinngg!" said Zoe, excitedly. Everyone started walking to the car, but Lavon stopped Zoe. Wade and Rose kept walking, but listened as they walked.

"Now, hold on Zoe," Lavon cleared his throat, "Lavon Hayes has a rep to pro-tect? You best go on and get yourself a shower before you ride in town with me, girl."

Wade and Rose, who were watching from his car, started laughing hysterically at the face Zoe made. Lavon made his way over to them and sighed at their laughing.

"Come on, you two, get in the car. It's not that funny."

"But it WAS!" Rose exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. She and Wade had to hold each other up to keep from falling on the ground.

"I'm glad you two enjoy my misfortune!" Zoe called from the barn.

"Always, darlin'! Always!" Wade called back. She rolled her eyes, and walked away, toward the house.

Later that morning, Wade, Rose, and Lavon were ready to go and in line to start the parade. All they were waiting for was Zoe, as usual. She came running around a corner and Wade noticed her first.

"What in the world took so long, girl?" he called to her from his spot as the tractor driver.

"I'm sorry! I had to see a patient really fast!" she called back.

The music started and the Cyrus Lavinius Jeremiah Jones High School Marching Band started moving. Bluebell's Founder's Day Parade had officially begun. Everything was going great for about 5 minutes. The sun was shining, kids were screaming and laughing, and it was a beautiful day.

Out of nowhere, Wade felt something collide with his back. He looked around and saw Zoe.

"Zoe-what? What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Wade, I need to create a diversion!"

"Get off of me!" he yelled, trying to keep the tractor going straight, but it was hard, considering the fact that she was trying to steer the float into a tree. "What are you doing?"

"Saving someone's life!"

What the hell did that mean? Before he could figure it out, though, she had gotten control of the wheel and driven them straight into a fire hydrant. Pressurized water shot out and rained down on their float. A bump that jolted the entire float and tractor told him that the Bluebell Belles had just crashed into their float. Men started running forward to see whether the town princesses were alright, but Wade turned around to see whether Zoe was alright. She wasn't behind him anymore, though. He saw her running toward the Belle float, but why would she be doing that?

Half an hour later, Zoe still had not shown up, but everybody else was cleaning up the fruit that had spilled from the fruit stand she had hit with the tractor. Rose was about ten feet away from Wade piling watermelons together.

"Hey, Rose," said a boy who came around the side of the float, walking toward her, "I saw the float crash. Are you okay?"

"Frederick Dean," she said, crossing her arms. Wade looked up and watched the two lovebirds. Rose looked intensely annoyed as she said, "What? Think I'm some Belle all a tizzy 'cause my hoop skirt got stuck in my hair? Well I'm not. Go help Magnolia."

With that, she threw her arms up into the air and turned around.

"Oh..okay," said Frederick Dean, sounding more than a little confused about the situation he had just walked into. Oh, no. No, no, no, thought Wade. She was not going to ruin her chances with this kid like that.

As Frederick Dean was walking away, Wade called loudly, "Uh..hey Rose. Do you have the new issue of..Chew? I was hopin' to borrow it..".

How would anyone believe that? He sounded so fake. Even Rose was givin' him a funny look. Much to his surprise, Frederick Dean turned around to face her.

"You read Chew?"

Wade smiled and left them, saying, "I'll just get it from you later," and behind Frederick Dean's back, he winked at Rose.

Walking away, he noticed a large group of people standing around a few Belles, with Lemon Breeland in the middle of it. Uh-oh, this could only lead to trouble. Sure enough, seconds later, the crowd parted and Zoe walked out of it, looking near tears.

As she was walking by him, he caught her by the arm and asked, "Zoe? What's wrong, girl?"

"Nothing. I'm not wanted here. Lemon and the rest of the town have made that perfectly clear."

He let go of her, stunned, and watched her walk off. As she passed the destroyed float, she started running toward home and he felt nothing but sadness for her and a little bit guilty of the way his town was treating her.

"But I want you here," he muttered, before walking off himself.

* * *

><p>Hmm...I really like the beginning of this chapterepisode/installment/whatever you wanna call it, but near the end I feel like it starts to flounder. Hmm...well, give me your thoughts!

Alright, thank you to anyone who's been reading this! ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO REVIEW! You make my life, guys :)

So, a very big thank you to:

**3Wade**  
>Thank you :) You were the first reviewer and I love you for that(: And yeah, I watch the show and his facial expressions always get me thinking about what's going on inside his head. So...this story is a product of that!<p>

**ms. Jaicee lee**

**san007**

**msalv**

**southerngal22**

**reviewer**  
>Your review really made me smile(: Thank you.<p>

**JaysHeartsDesire**

**bushy4**

**Cassy Lily Potter**

**Tharrow**  
>I was thinking that as I typed it, actually, but hey. This is Wade we're talking about. He's unpredictable. Maybe that's how he felt since the moment he saw her :D<p> 


	3. Gumbo & Glory

Heart of Wade – Ch. 3 – Gumbo & Glory

"It's always been you, Wade. I can't picture myself being with anyone but you. Now, come here," Zoe said striding forward and straddling Wade's lap while simultaneously taking off her shirt. Wade couldn't believe his good luck. He leaned upwards to kiss her neck and -

SNAP!

Wade was forcefully jolted awake, sitting up so fast he almost hit himself on the ornate chestnut headboard of his bed.

_'Damn it,'_ he thought_, 'It was just a dream.'_

A dream that was about to become a helluva good one, too. God Almighty, why did it have to end just when the good stuff -

POP!

A high-pitched squeal alerted him to what had woken him up. He looked out the window and laughed at the sight of Miss Zoe Hart. She was apparently trying to fix the fuse box with a stick. What she thought was going to happen by poking it was a mystery to him, but he was happy to continue watching her try to do something. She looked awfully cute in her little silk nightgown and robe with her hair in a messy bun. However, his good Southern breeding eventually kicked in, so he went to go rescue his damsel in distress.

Walking across the gravel expanse between himself and Zoe, he couldn't help cracking a smile at the sight of her. She was completely oblivious to him walking up next to her. All of her attention was focused on the little box hanging on the tree. She yelped one last time before sighing and closing the box's door with the stick.

"Oh, hey there, Doc," said Wade, making his entrance, "Notice how whenever I come around, there's always sparks."

She looked over at him for a total of two seconds, then turned back to the box while saying, "If you like that, wait 'till you see my taser."

Wade grinned and looked down at his feet.

"Listen, do you want me to help you fix the fuse box or not?"

She glanced at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"The fuse keeps blowing because of your new amp," she said, pointing the stick at him, "So, no. I do not want, or _need_, your help."

"My guess is you're overloadin' it with all your girl stuff," he said, smirking.

"Yeah, that's me," she said sarcastically, "with my girly Wifi connection and my silly cell phone that I only use to take pictures of ponies!"

He laughed and waited for her to continue speaking, because she didn't look anywhere near finished with her ranting.

"Well, apparently I have alienated most of the people in this town-," she began, but Wade interrupted her.

"More like all of 'em," he pointed out. She gave him the evil eye, then continued as if nothing had been said.

"So, the internet and my phone are my only contact with humanity," she said, turning back to the fuse box, armed with her stick. She tried once again to fix it by way of poking, but managed only to scare herself when it sparked. Wade laughed and tried to help again.

"Well, I'm gonna get a bucket of lake water, so when you catch on fire, it doesn't spread my way," he said, matter-of-factly, turned and began walking away. He hadn't gone two steps when he heard her sigh, close the fuse box, and walk away, too.

* * *

><p>Not two hours later, there was a loud banging at his door. Pulling on a shirt to make himself decent, he dragged himself to the front of the house and saw Zoe through the screen door.<p>

"Well, hey, Doc," he said as he opened the door, "What can I do for ya on this fine day?"

"Wade," she said, breathing like she'd just run a marathon, "I need you to take me to the Old Hooper House."

The Old Hooper House. Now, that was a name he hadn't heard in years. The House was an old abandoned miner's house in the middle of the woods outside Bluebell city limits. It was a popular hangout for kids and teenagers, so why on Earth did Zoe want to go there at 9 o' clock in the morning?

"The Old Hooper House," he said, "Why do you need me to take you there?"

"Because I don't know where it is?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm aware of that. But why do you need to go?"

"Oh. Some kid got bit by a snake there and I need to go figure out what kind of snake it is to treat the wound," she said, looking flustered, "But we need to go now, because I left through the back door. The kid's mother just thinks I'm doing research in the back room."

"Well, alright, then," he said, grabbing his keys and walking outside toward his car.

"Thanks, Wade," said Zoe, when both her and Wade were buckled in and he had started the car.

"It's no trouble, Zoe," he said, looking her in the eyes.

About 10 minutes later as they were pulling up to the house, Wade teased Zoe by saying, "First the fuse box, then you don't have a car. Admit it, Doc. You need my help."

"Technically," countered Zoe as she got out of the car, "I did not need your help. I finally get my first patient and it's a freaking snake bite. I simply needed you to take me to the snake. You are my ride, not my help. Very different."

"Okay," said Wade, arms folded across the hood of the car, "Well, you got your ride."

He stepped back and started to get into the car again, when Zoe stopped him.

"But," exclaimed Zoe. Wade looked up at her, smiling and waiting. She continued, "But there's a snake in there.."

Wade looked over at the Old Hooper House and nodded. "Probably a few," he said, looking back at Zoe, who appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Aren't you gonna come in, too?" she asked, with wide open eyes.

"No?" said Wade, shaking his head, "I'm just the driver."

Zoe looked very conflicted. On the one hand, she could keep the pride that came along with her stubbornness and go into the house alone. On the other, she could have Wade go in with her and have him handle the snake.

"Say 'please', Doc," he said, making it easy for her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Please."

He smiled, closed the door, and together they walked up to the house, on the lookout for their snake. He hadn't been here since high school, but there were always a few snakes and other creatures to be found in here. The rickety porch steps were just as he remembered them. As a teenager, he'd always felt like he or his friends would fall through them in an instant if they stepped on the wrong spot. However, that had never happened, so the builders of the Old Hooper House were to be credited for fine craftsmanship.

Opening the door, he called, "Here, snakey, snakey, snakey," but of course, nothing answered, so he stepped inside.

"Ah...the Old Hooper House," he said, reminiscently rapping the wall with his knuckles, "I used to bring my high school girlfriends here."

"Please tell me they were still breathing at the time," said Zoe, the majority of her attention focused on looking at and around the ceiling. As if the snake they were after was going to suddenly make an airborne attack. Lord, this girl _really_ wasn't from the South.

"There's no need to look up," he said, walking into what used to be a living room, "Poisonous ones don't climb."

She followed him into the room, both of them walking gingerly. Neither of them wanted to be the one to disturb the snake, though Zoe was noticeably more frightened.

"Well," Wade said, trying to make conversation, "Cottonmouths sometimes, but not in these parts. Usually."

Her eyes widened and she sped up to walk right behind him. He smiled and kept looking for the stupid snake.

"What do you mean 'usually'?" she asked tensely.

"Nah, well, what we're lookin' for is...a rattler...Copperhead...a real pretty, thin thing with brown blotches."

He walked into a bedroom and saw a rope sticking out from under some blankets. Ah..perfect time to mess around with Zoe. He looked intently at the rope as Zoe continued into the room.

"Oh, my God," he said, crouching down with his hand out.

"What?" asked Zoe, sounding worried. He grabbed the end of the "snake" and whipped it out toward Zoe, who screamed and fell backwards onto the bed.

"Wade!" she whined. He just continued laughing and laughing. She glared at him.

"Oh, come on. It's a rope," he defended, "Okay, you are _so_ city."

She got up suddenly, holding her hand, with a scared look in her eye.

"Copperhead," she said, breathlessly.

"What?" he asked. Good, she knew what kind of snake they were looking for.

"Copper. Head," she said slowly, then turned back toward the bed. He looked past her and saw a huge Copperhead Rattlesnake sitting in the corner...right where Zoe had fallen.

"Wow," said Wade, "That was quick. Lucky we found it."

"Not really," said Zoe and held up her hand. Two puncture holes stood out like tiny rubies at the base of her thumb.

"Woah...," gasped Wade.

Time to get Dr. Zoe back to the practice.

As he carried her into the practice, she was still objecting.

"This is so stupid," she said, "You don't need to carry me."

"First rule of a snake bite, Doc. Can't let the victim overexert herself," he said smoothly, holding her tighter.

"What's the second rule?" she asked, "Apply pressure to side of boob? Put me down!"

He set her down in one of the lobby chairs and put his hand on his hip.

"Well, glad I could be of help," he said sarcastically and walked out the door. Jeez, Zoe, way to be ungrateful. All he wanted to do was help her. And maybe have an excuse to hold her, if only for a short while.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, he was on his way to Lavon's house, but stopped when he saw a mangled package on Zoe's porch. Moving closer, he saw what looked to be the remnants of a vat of gumbo. What on Earth? It seemed Burt Reynolds, Lavon's alligator, had gotten to it. He picked it up and continued on his merry way.<p>

"...I just wanna beat Brick, c'mon just let me win," he heard Zoe pleading as he opened Lavon's door and stepped inside. Ah, they were talking about Bluebell's annual Gumbo Cook-Off. From the looks of it, Zoe had been trying to cheat by having her gumbo shipped to her.

"Hey, Doc, I found this package, or what's left of it, on your stoop. Bablow," he added for effect as he set the torn apart box down on the marble counter next to Zoe.

"That's my gumbo!" gasped Zoe, picking up the pieces of cardboard, "Look at this! I'm gonna sue that stupid overnight carrier."

"Well, you might have to sue the mayor's alligator," laughed Wade, sipping on his beer, "I saw him slithering away one happy reptile."

"Burt Reynolds ate my gumbo!" exclaimed Zoe, whipping around to face Lavon, the picture of indignity. Lavon just laughed.

"You cannot blame the 'gator," he said, soothingly, "Besides, this keeps me from having to disqualify you."

"Hey, listen, my Uncle Moe's got a pretty kickass gumbo recipe, if you want my help," Wade offered.

"I don't need your help, Wade, okay? The last time I had your help, I also got this," she snapped, holding up her hand which was wrapped in a rather painful-looking bandage. Wade mentally took a step back and Lavon looked over at him, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, what are you gonna do now?" asked Lavon, looking back at Zoe.

"I have no choice," Zoe said in a defeated voice, getting up from the bar stool, "I'll have Emeral email me his recipe and I'll make my own gumbo."

"Wha-? Do you even know how to cook?" asked Lavon as Zoe walked toward the door.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" asked Zoe, her hand on the doorknob. Wade walked forward and leaned against the counter, next to Lavon.

"Uh...because we don't think you can cook?" he said and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm gonna figure it out, okay?" said Zoe, sounding very determined, "Come hell or high water, I'm gonna become a respected part of this..."

She hesitated and Lavon and Wade waited for her to continue with raised eyebrows.

"...extremely charming community," she finished. He and Lavon chuckled as she flounced outside and down the steps. Lavon looked over at Wade and asked:

"Think she'll be able to do it?"

Wade answered, "Well, come hell or high water, Miss Zoe Hart is gonna have an entry in that gumbo contest."

* * *

><p>"So, you saw her on the street and you said what?" exclaimed Wade that afternoon at the Rammer Jammer.<p>

"Just hey," answered Lavon dejectedly. He was sitting at the bar drinking while Shelley filled up ketchup bottles nearby.

"That was it? Just 'hey'?" asked Wade.

"Just hey. And I mighta said, uh, 'Nice to see ya'," said Lavon.

"Woah," replied Wade sarcastically. Lord, the guy was a pro football player for years, but he had the game of an eight year old. He had a crush on the new receptionist at Zoe's medical practice. Someone named Diana or Delila or something.

"I know," said Lavon, taking another gulp of his drink.

"Well, I thought you said you laid on the charm when you first saw her," said Wade, trying his best to sound hopeful. In reality, the mayor's case was as bad as Wade had ever seen.

"But that was before I knew she was into me!" said Lavon, looking at the bar thoughtfully, "I croaked! I had no idea how to even start!"

"Well, how do you normally start things?" asked Wade, "Just go back to that."

"Lavon Hayes was a pro football player," Lavon Hayes said in a 'duhh' voice, "People started things for me."

"Look, you're a little outta shape is all, champ. You need practice," said Wade.

"Practice," echoed Lavon, taking another gulp from his drink.

"Yeah! You can't go into the game all cold! Look, here, pretend I'm her. Pretend I'm...," Damn it. Wade couldn't remember the girl's name, "Wait, what's her name again?"

"Didi," sighed Lavon.

"Then, I'm Didi," said Wade, wiping out a glass.

"I wish I had my gun," said Shelley under her breath.

"D-i-D-i? Or D-double 'e', D-double 'e'? 'Cause you can spell it both ways," said Wade.

"Why is that important?" asked Lavon.

"I'm just tryin' to understand my character," said Wade, sounding just like the diva he knew most actresses to be. Lavon gave him a look like 'you crazy?".

"Alright, go ahead, I'm her," Wade said and immediately launched into his character of being a young 20-something year old, very girly girl. He looked up through his eyelashes at Lavon, waiting.

"Hey...Didi...," said Lavon, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Wade batted his eyelashes, "Well, hey there...Don't you just look fine?"

"Oh, dear God," Shelley said.

"What? Why would she say that?" asked Lavon.

"Well, I don't know! That's what girls say to me!" said Wade, trying to defend himself.

"Well, we not pretendin' like it's you! We pretendin' like it's me!" said Lavon indignantly.

"Hey, dude! I'm tryin' to help you out here."

"You really bad at this."

"Okay, you know what? Fine. I'm callin' an audible. A whole new plan. Ignore her."

"...what?"

"Freeze her out. I know for a FACT chicks dig that," said Wade, taking a sip of his beer.

"Really..," said Lavon, contemplating it.

"Okay," said Shelley, "I have to put a stop to this. Asking Wade how to woo women is like asking a hunter how to train a bear. A woman wants a romantic gesture. Do that."

With that, she picked up her ketchup bottles and walked away, leaving Lavon and Wade looking after her suspiciously. Lavon looked at Wade.

"I don't know," replied Wade, "Could be a trick."

* * *

><p>"I did it. I saved that man's life. And Brick just took all the credit," yelled Zoe, fuming mad. She, Lavon, and Wade were standing in the kitchen. Zoe was "making" her gumbo while Lavon and Wade watched.<p>

"Sucks. Oh, uh! That's not salt. That's cleanser," said Lavon, grabbing the jar out of Zoe's shaking hands.

"What did I do to make Brick hate me so much?" asked Zoe, sounding hurt.

"It's not you, sweetheart. It's him. He's an arrogant son of a bitch. Always has been," tried Lavon. Zoe just looked at him over the top of the pot.

"One thing I'll bet, with those little shorts o' yours on, the whole town's gonna think he's the hero by now," said Wade, leaning against the counter by the sink.

"You know what?" said Zoe, "Screw George."

"George?" asked Wade.

"I'm gonna march into that cook-off and I'm gonna tell everyone what a phony Brick Breeland is," she said, defiantly.

"No, you're not," said Lavon, trying to sound reasonable, "Now if you want people to think that you're part of this community, you're gonna go to that cook-off, put your game face on, suck it up, and mix with the people. Hm?"

Zoe was silent. Wade loved the way her lips were pouted right then. They looked like two tiny, soft pillows. He wished he could touch them, even if he couldn't kiss them, just touch them. Ugh, what was he saying? Next thing you know, he'd be spouting sonnets like Shakespeare's about his love for her. Which is stupid. Because he didn't. Love her, that is.

"Fine," Zoe said, bringing him out of his trance, "You're right, Lavon. Maybe I could still win the gumbo contest. Can you try it?"

Lavon sat up and leaned forward for the spoon Zoe was holding out. He slurped the gumbo up and contemplated it for a moment. Then he said,

"Uh...well a moral victory is also good, you know."

Wade burst out laughing and Lavon started chuckling, too.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Zoe sharply, "Do you have a garbage disposal?"

"Now, hey, don't waste perfectly good food!" said Lavon, running over to take the pot from her, then going outside to feed Burt Reynolds. "Burt Reynooolds! Breakfast Tiiiime!"

* * *

><p>After the Gumbo Cook-Off, when Brick Breeland had won (again), Wade was wandering around, talking to some folks, when he saw Zoe looking intently into a pot of gumbo that was supposed to be hers. She spotted the mayor and started talking to him as Wade made his way over. He got there just in time to here, "Thank you! You are a good friend."<p>

"Jeez, Lavon," said Wade, putting an arm around his friend, "Cheatin' for a girl. Where have your mayoral ethics gone?"

"Wade," sighed Zoe, "Can't you ever just let us have a nice moment?"

"Sorry," said Wade, patting Lavon on the shoulder and walking away. Lavon looked after him smiling as Zoe walked away, too.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Wade was playing video games in Lavon's living room while Lavon washed some dishes.<p>

"You know what I don't understand," began Lavon, "Is how you did it."

"What?" asked Wade, pretending to be completely consumed in his game. In reality, he knew exactly what Lavon was getting at.

"You're Uncle Moe'd be proud of ya," said Lavon, pointing the dish and towel he had in his hand at Wade.

"I don't know what you been drinkin' Lavon. You're actin' crazy as all get out," said Wade, staring at the T.V. without really doing anything.

"Uh huh. I know what I know. You did Zoe a solid," said Lavon, putting the dish down on the counter. Wade put the controller down on the table. "Oh, you're a good guy," continued Lavon.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, Mr. Mayor," lied Wade, complete with poker face, "But, uh, Zoe Hart doesn't need my help. You can just ask her yourself."

And just like that, Wade left the building. The truth was, Wade been up all night making Uncle Moe's gumbo for Zoe, just so she could have some sort of victory. He wanted her to feel welcome in this town, to feel like she was wanted, because apparently him wanting her here wasn't enough. And, boy, did he want her. He needed her to want him, too.

* * *

><p>And there ya go, folks! Chapter 3! Lord this was long. 3500+ words. Thank you to the following people who reviewed since my last update!<p>

**SomethingSuper1341**

I hope you don't mind, but I used your review on an "advertisement" (i guess that's what it is) on Tumblr. I really liked it and it made me smile(((:

**msalv**

Thank you for reviewing again! I'm actually REALLY REALLY REALLY looking forward to writing the Heat Wave episode(:

**Tharrow**

Thank you for reviewing again! And thank you for REALLY putting thought into it! :) You made me feel better about the ending of Ch. 2 haha

**PerfectlyGoodHeart**

I'm an avid reader, too :) This is the first story I've written where I've gotten past Ch. 2 and still felt that _drive_ to write more down :)

**fan**

I believe it was a guitar pick, but that's the great thing about stories. Interpret it your own way(:

And to everybody else who read this! THANK YOU! Please review(: It really does make my day!

I'm sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors. I've been working on this for a few days, it's 11:30 at night, I just want to publish it. I'll go back and edit it more later ;)

J.E.D.


	4. In Havoc & In Heat

Heart of Wade – Ch. 4 – In Havoc and In Heat -

Would you rather live in an environment that is hot all the time or cold all the time and no amount of layers (or lack of layers) matters? You still end up being very hot or very cold. The heat waves that Bluebell experienced sometimes made Wade wish he could live in the "very cold" environment. Like Canada. Or Greenland. But then he would miss out on the fun that comes with the heat waves.

Something about the heat makes people do crazy things. Things they wouldn't normally do. You might take a risk. You might do something stupid. Whatever happens, though, Bluebell generally absolves you of the consequences, blaming the heat for your lack of judgment.

Wade woke up one morning in the middle of October sweating like a pig. _"Ah,"_ he thought to himself, sitting up in bed and pulling off his thin, cotton t-shirt, _"Another heat wave. Time for some fun."_

Getting dressed, he thought about Zoe. He'd been thinking about her a lot recently, but not just because she was, well, incredibly beautiful...anyway, he was thinking about her this morning because he couldn't wait to see what Zoe would do in her first, genuine Bluebell Heat Wave. The rest of the town had gotten used to the effects of a heat wave, and some had even gotten good at stifling those effects, but Zoe had never been in the kind of heat that can't be fixed with a little NYC air conditioning.

"Ambitious? You betcha," he heard Zoe say as he opened the door to Lavon's kitchen, letting the temporary relief of the indoor climate flow over him, "But I don't do crazy."

"Why not?" he asked, closing the door.

"Since when did breakfast become clothing optional?" Zoe asked no one in particular. Wade grinned at walked over to the sink to grab and wash an apple from the basket sitting on the counter next to it. He had a pair of cut off jeans on, with his shirt stuffed in his back pocket. Lavon, too, was only half dressed.

"Since there's a heat wave, baby," answered Wade, doing his signature handshake with Lavon.

"Trust me," said Lavon, "Bluebell get's a lot more fun when it's 105 degrees out. And, since Didi and I are going out on our first date tomorrow night - "

Lavon stopped at that moment to do another celebratory handshake with Wade. Wade looked over at Zoe just in time to see her roll her eyes in apparent disgust at the two men she spent most of her time with.

"I don't understand how you people are happy about this weather," exclaimed Zoe showing complete confusion behind her dark, chocolatey brown eyes, "My contacts have literally melted onto my eyeballs."

"Heat wave's like a free pass to do whatever you want," said Wade through a mouthful of apple bits, leaning against the counter, "What's not to like?"

"I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question," said Zoe, tilting her head sideways, "I'm also assuming that you don't know what rhetorical means."

"I think it means you haven't answered the question," said Wade, brushing off her little jab at his ego.

"I know all about free passes," said Zoe, sitting up, "See, it's like my mom and champagne. When she drinks, she thinks that nothing counts. My mom used to throw these huge parties for her celebrity clients at our house. Okay, so the champagne would flow and the next day, someone would be arrested, someone would have lost their pants, and my mom would be found, passed out behind the couch, with one of her friend's husbands _and_ a Calvin Klein model."

"Exactly," said Wade, standing up, "Your mom knew how to enjoy a free pass."

"Yeah," said Zoe, narrowing her eyes, "So much that she went on a Greek cruise, had sex with some guy, and now _I_ live in Alabama."

The boys were silent, staring at her.

"Point is," continued Zoe, clearly on a roll, "I don't do crazy. I have seen crazy and crazy comes with consequences. There's no such thing as a free pass."

"Mhmm," rumbled Lavon, looking at Zoe with narrowed eyes, too, "Well, we'll see. Weather this hot, you cannot fight your inhibitions, girl. You'll see."

Lavon walked away and Wade strolled over to lean against the counter near Zoe.

"You know, you could look at this as an opportunity," he said, moving in closer, his eyes boring into hers, "What's the one thing you've wanted to do since you got here that you haven't done? Just go right ahead and do it."

He smiled, biting into the apple. She looked at him, smiling, too.

"No judgments. No inhibitions. Just do it," he continued, taking another bite of his apple, "Know what I mean?"

He watched her eyes go from his, down to his lips, and saw her smile slightly.

"Okay," she said, ever so softly, "Maybe..I do."

"Yeah!" laughed Wade, getting excited. Could it really be that easy to get her to kiss him? All he had to do was suggest it and it would happen?

Before he finished that thought, she grabbed the pitcher of ice water next to her and dumped it over his head. Cold, wet streaks ran down his back as he jumped away from the counter. He could here Lavon laughing at him, saw Zoe laugh at him, and couldn't help laughing, too.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, before his shift at the Rammer Jammer, Wade was sitting down after having cleared out all the clutter in the pond when he saw Zoe gingerly sticking her toes in the water. It might have just been the heat making his imagination soar, but he couldn't sworn he'd seen her earlier, staring out the window at him, running her hands along her chest. That must be the egotistic male side of him talking, right? He'd love to find out if he was wrong.<p>

"Jump in!" he called to her, accidentally startling her.

"No, thank you," she called back, awkwardly standing there, obviously wanting to jump in.

"Why not?" he asked, "'Fraid you might have too much fun?"

"No," she answered, sounding like a little girl, "But I think my version of fun is a lot different than your version of fun."

Too right she was. If she jumped in, that would require her talking off some articles of clothing, and he didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from joining her if she did that. And doing things that he deemed very 'fun'.

"Yeah?" he called, coming back to himself, "What's your version look like?"

"My first solo surgery. Gallbladder removal. I got to use a laprascope."

Wow. Buzzkill. He just blinked at her, so she continued, "You had to be there."

"Sounds epic," said Wade, though he sounded very uninterested, "Tell you what. There's nothin' more freein' than jumpin' into a cool pond on a hot day."

"Lovely," said Zoe, "But...no...not for me."

"Why not?" cried Wade, snapping.

"One: I just blew out my hair," said Zoe, wrapping said hair around her hand, "Two: I can't be late for work. And three: I am pretty sure there are snakes in there."

Getting frustrated, he decided to dive in without her. Swimming underneath the water, without the sound of the world, he watched shadowy figures slide in and out of focus. Maybe there were snakes, but he didn't care. If she would just jump in, he'd protect her from whatever watery creatures lurked beneath the surface. Coming back to the top, Wade laughed and whooped.

"Now I know there are snakes in there," he heard Zoe say, before she walked away.

* * *

><p>Later, while bar tending, Shelley wobbled up to the counter. The smell coming off of her told him that she'd been doing tequila shots on the job again.<p>

"Waaade. Wade, Wade, Wade," she drawled, practically laying across the bar, "You're just so cute!"

He chuckled, "Why, thank you, Shelley. You're not so bad yourself."

She giggled and hiccupped, "Why don't you have a girlfriend? I mean, every woman just _throws_ themselves at you! It shouldn't be _that_ hard."

Wade's smile faded and he looked away.

"Oh...I get it," she said. He looked up and saw she was wearing a smug, all-knowing look on her face, "You're gay."

"What? _No!_ I am _not_ gay," he said hastily.

"Well, then, what _else_ could you be waiting for? You _have_ to be gay!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. Unfortunately, her hands on the bar were all that were holding her up. She collapsed to the ground and Wade quickly ran around to her. Crouching down next to Shelley, he explained himself.

"Look, Shelley, I'm not gay. I just happen to like someone who doesn't like me back right now," he whispered. Her eyes widened suddenly.

"You like Zoe Hart," she almost yelled. Luckily, the Rammer Jammer was pretty much empty except for a man in the far corner singing softly to himself.

"Shh! Shelley! You have to keep this a secret!" Wade said urgently.

"Hehe, you sound like a girl, Wade. But don't worry. I'll keep your secret," Shelley giggled into her hands. Wade sighed and helped Shelley stand up.

"You know what, Shelley," said Wade, "Your shift is over in a bit. Nobody's here. Why don't you clock out a half hour early. And go sleep in the back a while. I don't want you driving home."

He helped her up (which consisted of him picking her up) and carried her into the break room. There was a couch in there and he gently set her down, throwing his coat over her. He backed out of the room, turning off the lights.

"Hey, Wade," Shelley's voice came out of the darkness.

"Yeah?" asked Wade, standing in the doorway.

"For what it's worth, I think you and Zoe would be great together," said Shelley. Wade smiled.

"'Night, Shelley," he whispered as he closed the door.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Shelley walked gingerly out of the back room, holding her head.<p>

"Hey, sleepyhead," called Wade, picking up the trash bag.

"Ugh," she groaned, taking one hand away from her fragile head to wave Wade silent, "Don't yell at me, Wade. I've got a bitch of a hangover."

Wade grinned at her, heaving the bag over his shoulder, "Well, maybe you shouldn't drink on the job, hm?"

Shelley glared at him through squinted eyes, "Okay, okay, I gotta go see Zoe. Maybe she's got some sort of "magic hangover cure"..thingy. Hopefully she's still at the practice."

"Okay, Shelley," he called to her retreating back, "Good luck with that."

The door slammed shut and Wade was left alone in the Rammer Jammer. It was closing time for the medical practice. Would Zoe still be in when Shelley got there? Well, maybe she would be. She had to do as much work as she could in order to get the 30% of the patients she needed to keep the practice.

Wade threw the bag over his shoulder again and walked out to the back alley. A dark fence ran alongside the narrow road, with the high school on the other side. Normally, there were lights shining from the football field to help Wade see, but, because of the heat wave, the coach had canceled practice. They didn't need any players collapsing from heat stroke, what with Homecoming right around the corner. Today, however, there weren't any lights, so Wade had to fend for himself. Now, where the hell were the trash cans?

He carefully felt his way down the alley with his arm running along the fence. They were up against the fence somewhere, he just didn't know where. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain cut him right above his left ribs.

"SHIT!" yelled Wade, slapping a hand to his side. He felt something warm and realized he was bleeding. "Damn it," he muttered to himself. Quickly, he located the trash cans (of course they were only a few more feet in front of him), threw the bag inside, and walked swiftly back to the Rammer Jammer. Once inside, he went to the bathroom, pulled off his shirt, and surveyed the damage.

"Damn," he said. It looked like someone had stabbed him. Blood was quickly running down his stomach, so he pulled on his shirt again and grabbed a rag from the basket. Time to go see Dr. Hart.

* * *

><p>The bell tinkled as he opened the door and Zoe looked up as Wade began walking down the long entrance hall.<p>

"We're closed, Wade," she said like she was talking to a two year old, before adding to Shelley, who looked, if anything, worse than when she left the Rammer Jammer, "Here's the acetaminophen. It's the best I can do."

"Hey, look, I'm sorry to barge in after hours, but, uh, I was takin' out the trash over at the Rammer Jammer and the fence kinda jumped out and got me. Y-you think it needs stitches?" he asked apprehensively. Ever since he was a kid who had fallen off his bike and needed stitches, he hated them with a passion.

Zoe's face softened, "I'll have to clean it up and see. Why don't you go sit down in there and I'll take a look."

"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath. He walked into the examination room and sat down on the padded bed. A second later, he heard the bell tinkle, telling him Shelley had left. That meant – Yep, Zoe walked in the room just a moment later.

"Alright, Wade, let's see what you did this time," she said, walking over to stand by him, "I can't see much so, uh, I need to be able to see all the damage that was done, so, I, um..I need you to...take off your shirt..."

"Oh, o-okay," said Wade, totally oblivious to Zoe's discomfort. He was just as nervous as she was, but for a completely different reason. He whipped off his shirt and balled it up in his fist. Zoe didn't say anything as she looked at the cut, but a moment later she glanced up at him again.

"Yep, it's gonna need stitches," she said. Wade's eyes widened, but he nodded, taking in another deep breath.

"Alright, Doc, just get it done quickly. But don't do a bad job. I don't want to come in again to get it redone if the stitches come undone. Say, do I count as a patient in your 30% thing? Even if it's afterhours, it should still count. It does count, right?"

"Wade," she said, cutting off his rant. While he was blabbing, she had gathered the necessary supplies, "I need to be able to focus. So, shut up."

"Right you are, Doc, so I'll just be quiet now, oka-," he cut himself off at another withering look from Zoe.

They were silent for a few minutes. Except for the occasional "ow!" from Wade. He really didn't like stitches. When she was finished, she didn't say anything, just took off her gloves. Wade watched her. The pain had passed and the threat of more stitches was gone. They both seemed to be focusing on the same thing now.

"You sure are taking your time with that, Doc," he said softly, referring to how slowly she was pressing the bandage over the stitches. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and sped up.

"There. You're all good to go," she said breathlessly. He looked down at the wound area.

"I appreciate all the fine work you did," he said, smiling at her. She smiled back, albeit less enthusiastically.

"If there's anything I can do to repay the favor," he said roughly, "I'll be at the Rammer Jammer later." He smiled, "You know where to find me."

He stood up and walked out the door, feeling Zoe's eyes on his back. Once outside, he leaned against the building, eyes closed and heart hammering against his chest.

* * *

><p>All night, Wade kept looking up at the door every time someone came or left. Not once, though, was it Zoe. He had started to lose hope. Maybe she wasn't interested in him. Maybe he had just made a complete fool of himself. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes from then on.<p>

Half an hour before closing, the door was still opening and closing a lot. Wade had stopped looking up, though. He heard heels clicking across the floor, coming straight at the bar. With the last of his hope, he looked up and saw Zoe making a bee line for him. For _him!_ She was smiling and wearing the sexiest dress Wade had ever seen. It wasn't skimpy, but it fit her in all the right ways.

She pulled out the bar stool and sat down...then fell. Wade's mouth dropped open and he leaned over the counter to look down at her. She was rubbing her head and wobbly getting back up.

"Wha-?" he laughed, "Are you alright down there?"

She scrambled into the bar stool she had completely missed, nervously giggling, "Little slippery."

"Yeah, um," said Wade, trying to make his eyes stay on her face and not travel downward, "Can I get you something?"

She leaned toward him, "I think you know.."

"Wine."

"No."

"Uh, beer?"

She looked at him like he was an alien, "Uh, y-yeah, beer. Fine."

Wade stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant, then went to get her beer. Before he got very far, Zoe stopped him.

"Wait, wait, no. I don't want anything to drink," she said shaking her head and smiling nervously.

"Oh," said Wade, "Okay.."

"So...," said Zoe, leaning in even more, looking intently at Wade. Then, she did a sort of blink thing. She did it again.

"Do you, do you got a sort of contact lense situation?" he asked, completely confused. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"Your place, 11:30," she whispered. Wade looked taken aback for all of 3 seconds. Then, he smirked at leaned forward.

"I'll be there," he whispered back. She contentedly got to her feet, smiled one last time, and left.

You know in movies how girls jump up and down screaming when they get the guy after a shit ton of work? Wade had to resist doing that in the middle of the Rammer Jammer.

"Oh, my God!" yelled Shelley, running outside. Wade looked through the front window and saw Zoe sitting on the ground, holding her head. Polly Parker, whose mother had died recently, was stumbling away holding a rather heavy-looking purse. Before Wade had made it halfway across the Rammer Jammer, Shelley came back inside.

"Where's Zoe? Is she okay?" Wade questioned Shelley, bobbing around and looking over her shoulders.

"Calm down, Wade. Jeez. Try not to make it so obvious. She's fiiine. But she did say she'd be a few minutes late," Shelley wiggled her eyebrows at him, "Whatever _that_ means!"

* * *

><p>Wade was sitting at home. And waiting And sitting. And waiting.<p>

He had raced home to get his bedroom cleaned up, the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, EVERTHING ready for Zoe. He had gotten it done so quickly that he was done at 11pm.

So, now he was sitting. And waiting. And sitting. And waiting.

Footsteps sounded on the porch outside. Slowly, Wade got to his feet and made his way to the door. He opened it and Zoe stood there, her dark hair rustling in the slight breeze that cooled the incredibly warm night. Neither of them said anything, just looked at each other. It should have been awkward, but weirdly, it wasn't. Both of them were anticipating what was to come.

Wade took a small step forward at the same time she did and the corners of her lips turned upwards slightly. They both were hesitant to make the first move, inching closer and closer, but never taking the giant leap.

Right as their lips were millimeters apart, the sky opened and water poured over them. Zoe pulled back and turned her face up, a different look coming over her. Wade knew what she was about to say. He wished she wouldn't say it. He hoped she wouldn't say it. But he knew she was going to say it.

"Looks like the heat wave broke," he said, desperately trying to save the situation, "Doesn't mean you can't come inside."

"Actually, it does," she said, her voice breaking. Wade looked down at his shoes. There. She said it. "I guess I'm just not that kinda girl." She added, shaking her head, pleading with him to understand. She looked at him for a moment more, then turned, and ran back down the stairs. Wade watched her go, biting his lip and wishing he could run after her. But if she wasn't that kinda girl, she wasn't that kinda girl.

He watched her for as long as he could, then turned, and advanced back into his impeccably clean house, closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>There you go! Chapter 4! :) I actually really like how this one turned out...(:<p>

Again, if you read it and you liked it: REVIEW!(:

If you read it and you hated it: REVIEW(:

Thank you to the people who reviewed since my last update:

**Kittykatg**

**Dbz**

**SomethingSuper1341**

**SunnyCitrus10**

**Becca**

SO! My advertising scheme worked? YESH! Me gusta.

**Emmerlou5188**

**PerfectlyGoodHeart**

****Annnddd that's it! Thank you to all! And to all, a good night! -yeah, merry belated christmas, everyone! :)

J.E.D.


	5. Faith & Infidelity

"Everyone was in church," Zoe exclaimed, walking in the kitchen door, "Everyone! It's like the world ended. I couldn't even buy a cup of coffee. That should be against some kind of law."

"Good mornin' to you, too, sunshine," Wade said, garbling his words through the mouthful of cereal he was eating. She blinked and strolled over to him.

"You wanna know why I'm not in a great mood this morning, Wade?" she asked. Oh, no, here it comes.

"Hm?"

"It's because a Hitchcockian swarm of flies were buzzing in my ear all night long," she said, using her hands to emphasize the point, "And you wanna know why I have flies?"

Wade shook his head, but Zoe continued anyway.

"It's because your front porch is a cemetery for take-out containers, empty beer bottles, and half eaten waffles!"

"I told you you should fix that hole in your screen," Wade countered, pointing his spoon at her.

"And you told me you would fix it."

"Maybe," he said, contemplating, "You should be nicer to me. 'Cuz when all those nice, church-goin' people get whooshed up to Heaven in the Rapture, it's gonna be just me and you left to repopulate the Earth."

"Listen, cowboy," Zoe sighed, "I have a very important week coming up. Brick has left for his fishing trip. Which means I finally have the practice all to myself. So, I need to be better than great. So patients will still see me after Brick gets back! But, I can't do that if I haven't had any sleep."

"Cowboy?" Wade said, smiling and sitting up. Zoe looked utterly disgusted at his lack of putting importance on her week, "Cowboy."

She threw her hands up, completely exasperated, sighed, "Unbelievable!" and walked out.

* * *

><p>Wade woke up just before dawn the next morning feeling, for some reason, happy. Maybe it was because Zoe was happy to have the practice to herself, now that Brick was gone for the week. Maybe it was because he'd eaten some of the Reverend's wife's cake last night. Or maybe it was because he didn't have to work today. Whatever it was, today was going to be a good day. Which meant only one thing.<p>

Yes. Today was the perfect day for a fishing trip.

Wade quickly got out of bed and dressed. There would be time for a shower later. Dawn was the best time for fishing. Practically skipping out to his boat trailer, he hooked his truck up to it, and got into the driver's seat. On went the engine and away he went. Before he had backed up a few feet, he felt the trailer roll over something. Something big. High-pitched yelping started.

"_Shit!_," yelled Wade. He threw the truck into 'park' and jumped out the door. Laying underneath his boat trailer was Crazy Earl, the town drunk.

So much for his good day.

* * *

><p>"'Ey! Watch it, Waade!" whined Earl as Wade half helped, half carried the man up the step of Zoe's office.<p>

"Oh, shut up. This is your fault and you know it," he snapped, opening the door. The bell tinkled and Zoe and the new nurse, Addie, looked up from the front desk.

"'Ey, Doc! Crazy Earl needs a once over," he called, struggling to hold Earl up and close the door behind them. He stumbled down the hallway, carefully avoiding the walls.

"What happened?" asked Zoe, she and Addie jumping up and coming out to the front lobby.

"Old man was passed out drunk underneath my boat trailer–I backed over him," explained Wade, setting the man down in one of the squishy chairs.

"You ran over him?" cried Zoe. This woman really didn't listen. There is a difference between backing over someone and running over someone.

"I didn't-sit down!" said Wade to Earl, who was trying to stand up. Obviously he didn't like the doctor's office, "I didn't run over him, okay? I was goin' fishin' and I backed over him with my boat trailer, which weighs next to nothin'."

"Okay, sir? Are you having any trouble breathing?" asked Zoe anxiously, kneeling down next to the chair. The old man let out a long, wheezing breath. Zoe's face contorted from the smell of beer on his breath.

"O-o-okay, we don't need to do that anymore," she said, trying to not inhale the smell anymore than she had to.

"Pulse is fine," said Addie, getting up from the floor where she had been checking the pulse on his wrist.

"See there?" said Wade, "He's drunk as a skunk. You couldn't hurt him if you tried. Now all the good fishin' spots are gonna be gone."

"Really?" asked Zoe incredulously, "You ran over him and you're annoyed?"

"Like I randomly check to see if anyone happens to be passed out underneath my boat," cried Wade defensively. How the hell was she not seeing that this was NOT his fault?

"I was asleep," croaked Crazy Earl, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the practice, "You sure are pretty."

Wade hit him over the head. First, the guy ruins his perfect day. Next, he hits on Wade's girl. Or soon to be girl. The girl Wade liked. More than liked? He didn't know.

"And you are lucky," said Zoe, soothingly, oblivious to the mental argument Wade was having with himself at the moment, "No broken bones. Your abdomen is soft and non-tender – I think you're gonna be fine. No thanks to you," she added, looking up at Wade, before turning back to her patient whose eyes were drifting dangerously low on her body, "Let's get you in there to lie down, I think you could use a nap."

"Last time I tried that I got run over," slurred Earl as Zoe and Wade heaved his heavy, not-helping body from the chair.

"Backed over," Wade hissed, carrying the old man into Zoe's examination room.

"Dr. Hart," called Addie, coming back into the room, "Here's some tests results that just came in..."

Her voice trailed off as Wade got out of earshot. Zoe stopped and went back to Addie. He spotted a chair and tried to gently set Earl down. Of course, Crazy Earl was just a bunch of dead weight whilst drunk so he basically fell into the chair.

* * *

><p>"My, Zoe," swooned Tom, a few days later, walking the length of the bar toward the woman in question, "You look real pretty tonight."<p>

Wade looked up from making a drink and rolled his eyes. That boy was a little cute and a little pathetic, all rolled in one.

"Thanks, Tom," Zoe replied, obviously trying not to roll her eyes, too. She put her purse over the back of the chair at the bar and sat down, putting her head in her hands, "Any wine you have, not from the box, please."

"That's funny. I remember box wine being your Achilles heel," he said, smirking, "Your slutty, Achilles high heel."

She gave him a death glare, "Just pour it."

He smiled and turned around, heading for the wine and glasses.

"You know the guy you almost killed is fine, by the way, thanks for asking," she called to his retreating back.

If only she knew how well he knew that the guy he almost killed is fine. He pivoted with the drink in his hand and saw Zoe glancing around at everyone in the bar, a curious gleam in her eyes. They were all talking about something and he was sure she was dying to know. He strolled back to her and set the glass down in front of her.

"Why don't you just ask me what they're talkin' about," he said, making her jump.

"Because I don't care," she responded, picking up the glass.

"Really," Wade said, leaning down so they were eye-level, "'Cuz it's big news."

"And yet," she said, "I don't care."

"If Bluebell had a gossip rag," he continued whilst gesturing wih his hands, "This would be the cover story."

"Which I wouldn't read," she fired back. He nodded, smiled, and started to head back to the sink to wash out some glasses._ 3, 2,_ he counted in his head, _1-_

"Okay," hissed Zoe, "What's goin' on?"

Wade smiled and went back to his spot in front of Zoe, "Minister and his wife split up. Apparently someone planted a bug in her ear that the minister cheated."

Zoe gaped up at him, completely astonished. Before she could respond, though, Tom jumped up from a table in the restaurant and exclaimed, "Who would say a cruel, cruel thing like that?"

Everyone in the bar looked over and nodded, agreeing with all their hearts.

"Sad," grumbled Wade.

"I'll take the whole bottle," Zoe said and Wade rose his eyebrows. "To go," she added.

* * *

><p>Lavon sat at the bar, looking completely dejected.<p>

"What with the long face, Mr. Mayor?" asked Wade, setting a beer down next to the man.

"Just got off the phone with my agent," began Lavon, "You know, since that one company wanted me, I thought there might be other endorsement opportunities. Turns out I was wrong."

"Well, look on the bright side. There's people with itchy junk who still love ya!" Wade said, slapping Lavon on the shoulder.

Suddenly, some member of the Memory Matrons (Lemon Breeland's stupid social group) decided to make her entrance.

"I heard about your new road!" she exclaimed, making reference to the fact that Lavon was using the redevelopment funds on widening the highway, instead of restoring the old, historic bridge.

"Okay," Wade said, making his exit. He didn't want to hear some airhead complain about what could have been. Especially over something so stupid as the Memory Matrons.

Filling up a pitcher of beer, his thoughts wandered to Zoe. She looked more worried about the minister and his wife than she should have, considering the fact that she'd only been in town a couple months.

"Hey, uh," Tom called the bar to attention, "Crazy Earl's on the roof of the hardware store..says he gonna jump."

Goddammit. Earl was doing it again. He threw his towel down on the counter and went outside, following everyone else.

He ran outside and ahead of everyone else. Wade passed Zoe, who was sporting a ridiculous hairdo that Addie must have tricked her into, and sprinted into the alley next to the hardware store, leaving the gate open. He grabbed a trash can and put it underneath the fire escape ladder. Jumping on top, he shimmied up the rungs and in less than 20 seconds, he had made it to the roof and began inching his way along toward Earl. Wade glanced toward the crowd below, but he couldn't spot Zoe.

"_Wade!" _He told himself_, "Focus on the task at hand, not on Zoe!"_

"Woohoo! Go Wade!" yelled Shelley.

"Okay, time to come down," he called to Earl.

"No!" the old man shouted.

"Come on, Earl," said Wade, "You're not gonna jump."

"Here I go," said Earl, taking another step to the edge.

"No!" screamed Zoe, who had suddenly reappeared, from below.

"Damn it, Earl! STOP!" Wade yelled, reaching for the man.

"I won't," he responded. He looked at Wade meaningfully, but Wade shook his head.

"I'm not gonna do it," he protested firmly, "Now, come on, get down. Look at Doc down there, she's about to pee her pants."

Earl glanced down at Zoe and indeed, Zoe looked scared out of her mind.

"Now get down before you hurt yourself," continued Wade.

"Only," said the man drunkenly, "if you do it."

"No," said Wade. Earl shrugged and stumbled toward the edge. Motherfucker, thought Wade, and opened his mouth.

"_Moon River,_

_Wider than a mile:  
>I'm crossin' you in style<br>Some day._

_Oh, dream maker,  
>You heart breaker,<em>

At this point, Earl began singing too.

_"Wherever your goin',  
>I'm goin' your way."<em>

Earl was enjoying himself, but Wade just wanted this to end. He looked down and the whole crowd began singing, but Zoe looked confused.

"_Two drifters,  
>Off to see the world,<br>There's such a lot of world  
>To see.<em>

When he finished the sentence, Wade said, "I'm done,", but immediately Earl stumbled toward the edge again, so Wade continued.

"_We're after the same  
>Rainbow's end<br>Waitin' round the bend,  
>My huckleberry friend,<br>Moon River  
>and me."<em>

As the song finished, everybody began clapping and cheering, and Earl stood dangerously close the the drop-off, taking a bow.

"Okay, okay," said Wade, trying to grab the man, "Hey, dad! It's time to go home. Let's go."

As they were walking away, he heard Zoe say, "'Dad'?" and he looked down in shame. Great. Now, the woman he really, really, _really_ liked knew he was the son of the town drunk.

* * *

><p>The next day, Wade woke up a little before nine, just in time for the church's pancake breakfast. He made his way down to the town square, trying to avoid looking at anyone. He knew the people of the town were used to it by now, but still he was embarrassed.<p>

Every month, without fail, his dad cashed the government check he got and headed straight for the liquor store. And every month, Wade went up on the hardware store rooftop to sing his father away from the edge.

He sat alone at his own table, eating his pancakes, when Zoe walked up. Oh, no. He wasn't prepared to talk to her.

"Hey," said Zoe awkwardly, "Coffee. And on a Sunday."

Wade leaned back in his chair, "Guess this town ain't as backwards as you thought."

"I saw what you did for your dad," she said, rubbing her eyes. Yeah, she saw it. So did the rest of the town, "I thought it was kind of...heroic."

What? She must have been making fun of him, so his defenses kicked in.

"Well, when your dad's the town drunk, you get used to climbing roofs, that's all," he said, looking up at her, "Doesn't mean anything."

She just looked at him. Almost...pityingly..That made Wade angry. Nobody should ever have a reason to pity him.

"Look, I'm headin' back to the plantation. You want a ride?" he asked, putting all his trash onto his plate and standing up.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna hang out a while," she said, looking around. Wade nodded and walked away.

* * *

><p>Back in Lavon's kitchen, Wade made himself a sandwich, flipped on the T.V. and saw something completely unexpected. Lavon's face smiled back at him through the screen.<p>

_"Hi, I'm Lavon Hayes and I'm itch free. Where it counts."_

Wade spit out his beer and burst out laughing uncontrollably. So. Lavon had done the advertisement anyway. Why on EARTH would he have done that?

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading this! I love each and every one of you! Please please please review! I know this update took longer than the last, but I'm back in school now. So I'll be updating once a week (hopefully;) haha)<p>

Thank you ESPECIALLY to:

**Abby**

You don't know how happy I am that SOMEONE noticed that reference(:

**SomethingSuper1341**

**JaysHeartsDesire**

I did contemplate putting the final skinny-dipping scene in, but I felt that the lightheartedness of it sort of detracted from the overall "I could have had her, but I didn't" thing that I think Wade was feeling. So I ended it where that emotion was highest(:

**katieswar123**

**src13**

**Miara12**

Thank you! You don't know how much that means to me(((:

Alright! Review and Enjoy!

J.E.D.


	6. The Undead & The Unsaid

"And thank you, Zoe, for blowing out the electricity at my place last night," Wade said as he poured her a cup of coffee outside the Rammer Jammer one morning in late October, "It's good practice for when we have to live off the grid because of a war with zombies and whatnot."

Normally, this kind of snide comment from Wade would result in an equally snide remark from Zoe. Today, however, behind her sunglasses, her eyes stayed fixed on one spot on the table and her head stayed resting in her hands.

"Doc?" he asked, then set the coffee pot on the table with a bang, "Doc!"

She jolted awake and looked up to see Wade laughing at her.

"Look, you can eat here and drink here," Wade began, "But if you sleep here, we're gonna have to charge hotel tax."

Zoe blinked, clearing her head. "I'm sorry," she said, looking up at Wade with her eyes still adjusting to the light, "I haven't been sleeping lately. I've been lying in bed at night just listening to my mosquitos...die...in my new bug zapper."

"Well, listen," Wade said, leaning down over Zoe and lowering his voice, "Maybe you're just not tired enough at night. If you wanna work out a little or whatever, no need to blow the power out, I'll just come by."

Zoe smirked as he turned around.

"Great. The mosquitos will show you where to go!," she called to his retreating figure.

Wade smiled and continued walking inside to the Rammer Jammer. Every conversation of theirs always turned into a competition of wit...and he loved every minute of it.

"Hey, Wade! Waaaa-duh," called an all-too-familiar voice by the bar. Wade's smile faded as the face of Crazy Earl came into view.

"Yeah, Earl?" said Wade as he crouched down behind the counter, putting glasses away. Earl only ever came by if he wanted to get drunk or if he needed money to get drunk. Wade wondered which it would be today. Probably money, as he hadn't asked in a few weeks. "What do you need?"

"I need money."

And Bingo was his name-o.

"Well," said Wade, lips starting to curl, "You can't have any. I can't keep feeding your drinking problem like this."

"Drinking problem? I don't have one!" Earl yelled, falling out of his bar stool.

"Easy, Dad," Wade lurched forward over the bar and helped the man back onto the seat.

"I DON'T have a drinking problem, Wade Kinsella. I happen to need this money for my medicanation, medicalation, uh..meditation?" The old man's drunk mind couldn't get the right word. He looked thoughtfully at Wade, his old eyes questioning the younger man's identical pair.

"Your medication?" tried Wade softly.

"Yeah, that's the one!" cried Earl, smiling drunkenly, looking at his son through bleary eyes, "You're a smart guy, Wade. I raised you just right!"

"Sure you did, Earl," muttered Wade, looking at the counter. Silently, he got out his wallet and handed Earl a twenty-dollar bill. "Is that enough?"

"Yeeep! Thanks, Wade!" said Earl, snatching the money and hopping off the stool. Excitedly, he stumbled out of the Rammer Jammer, probably on his way to the local liquor store. Wade watched him go and imagined himself slamming his head repeatedly against a brick wall. Why did he always give in so easily?

Wade glanced at the clock. It was 9:45 in the morning. His shift ended at 4 and then he would be on his way to Lavon's for a guy's night. Exactly what he needed to get his mind off Earl.

* * *

><p>That night, he practically skipped up the stairs to Lavon's kitchen. Slamming open the door, he found Zoe and Lavon talking at the island.<p>

"Hey-o! Big man," called Wade, closing the door with a bang, "You got the T.V. warmed up?"

Lavon looked at Wade with wide eyes and shook his head slightly, obviously trying to convey some unspoken message to Wade. Wade just smirked and put his arm around Zoe.

"Hey, Doc. You, uh, you wanna join us for the Ladies' Beach Volleyball Championships?"

Zoe looked at Lavon with a glare that clearly said 'I expect this from him, not you'. Lavon sighed and spoke to her.

"Fine. Take the Navigator. Just don't change the radio stations," he shook his head and went to turn on the T.V.

Wade's eyes followed Zoe all the way across the kitchen to where she scooped the Navigator's keys off the wall.

"Do you even know how to drive?" asked Wade, honestly curious. Zoe gave him a scornful look.

"I've had my license since I was sixteen," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Have you driven since then?"

Zoe opened her mouth, but no words came out for a minute, until: "The principle's haven't changed. It's not a flying car."

Wade let out a single laugh and watched her go.

"Wade! Come on, boy. It's starting!" Lavon hollered from over by the couch. Wade smiled, grabbed a cold beer out of the 'fridge, sauntered to the sofa and plopped himself down.

"You ready for some bikini-clad hotness?" asked Lavon, punching Wade in the shoulder. Wade laughed and slugged the Mayor back.

"Damn straight."

* * *

><p>The next night, Wade was doing his usual thing, blasting his music late at night. His favorite song had just gotten to the best part and Wade was rocking out when suddenly everything went pitch black.<p>

"DAMN IT, ZOE!" he yelled, grabbing his flashlight off the wall. He kept it there for exact moments like these. What on Earth was wrong with her today? She had supposedly hit a man in Lavon's Navigator last night, claimed it was Leon Mercy, a man who'd been dead for over a year, now this? Throwing down his guitar, he stormed out of his house and across the lawn. After stomping up Zoe's steps, he angrily opened the door and walked into her bedroom.

And stopped. She was bent over in a tiny nightgown, lighting a lamp, so Wade decided to quickly enjoy the view. It didn't last long, though, as she turned around as soon as she heard his steps.

"Hey. What the hell," Wade said, trying to think of something more intelligent to say to voice his frustration.

"I am so sorry," Zoe said, though she didn't look apologetic, "It must have been the new bug zapper. I totally forgot!"

Her huge eyes and smile were playing tricks with Wade's mind.

"What are you even doing up at this hour?" asked Wade. Nice. Good comeback. Way to tell her how you feel.

"I'm not sleepy," sighed Zoe, waving her arms.

"Well," said Wade, turning, "I don't care. Go to bed."

"No, wait, wait!" she cried. Wade turned back around and she said, "Since we're both up...you wanna hang out? Have some tea?"

Did he want to hang out? What woman on Earth asked to hang out with a half naked man at 2:30 in the morning? Unless...she didn't just want to hang out..

"Yeah," he smiled and slowly advanced toward her, "I'll have some 'tea'".

"Oh, no!" cried Zoe, eyes wide with her hands thrown up in front of her, "No, no, nevermind, bad idea. Oh, I'm sleepy. Exhausted." She paused, and Wade looked at her with his mouth open. She shooed him with her hands, "Go away."

"You are a certified crazy person, you know that?" exploded Wade, pointing his finger in Zoe's face, "Now, historically, I found that hot, but in your case, I think I'm cured!"

He turned on his heel and marched out the door crying, "Unbelievable!". Of course, he hadn't gone three steps out the door before he heard her start screaming. Before he could even think about his actions, his body had him turned around and sprinting back in the room, preparing for an axe murderer standing over her. Instead, he found her hyperventilating in the middle of the room.

"What!" he questioned her, "What is it?"

"Leon Mercy...," she said, pointing toward the open window. He let his tense muscles relax. You have GOT to be kiddin' me.

"Leon Mercy?" he asked. She nodded and pointed toward the window again.

"Yeah, look!" she breathed.

"Leon Mercy," he said again, striding toward the window. He stuck his head out and looked around, pointing the flashlight into every dark crevice. "Oh yeah, there's like ten Leon Mercy's out here."

"Okay," he began, pulling himself back inside and sticking the flashlight in her face, "No ghosts. No Leon Mercy. Nothin'. Thank you, goodnight."

However, as he was about to walk outside again, she called him back, "Wait, I'm sorry!"

He turned around and put his hands on his hips.

"Maybe I'm nuts," she said, twirling her index finger next to her head, "Can you just stay 'till morning?"

He should have said no and gone back to his own home, but the way she was pleading with him and the way her big, brown eyes were looking at him were doing things to his head. He sighed.

"Alright," he said and began to walk toward the bed.

"No, wait!" she said, stopping him, "Not there. Couch, jeez."

He shook his head and turned for the third time that night toward the door, "Goodnight."

"Wade, wait!" she said. He stopped with his back to her. Goddamn her and her mind tricks. Goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit all! He turned around, giving her the evil eye, and walked to the couch.

"Blanket," he said, looking at her expectantly. She pointed hesitantly to the one laying on the back of the couch behind him. He gave her a dirty look again, pulled it on top of him, laid down and went to sleep.

What felt like mere minutes later, he was startled awake by someone repeatedly poking his forehead, whispering, "Wade. Wade. Wade."

"Ungh," he said, opening his eyes and looking up into the chocolatey brown ones of Miss Zoe Hart.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, making him look at the bright, bright screen of her laptop, "Because there are no ghosts. I know that. I'm a woman of science, for God's sake. So, I did some research and I found Leon Mercy's obituary. Look," she pointed at an article from Bluebell's newspaper, "Leon drowned in the Gulf while he was fishing. They found his boat and they searched forever until they declared him dead. But no body was EVER found. Why? I'll tell you why," she continued, not stopping for him to guess, "Because he never died. Maybe he bumped his head and he's walking around and he doesn't know who he is or where he is. I have to go find him!"

"So, you didn't wake me up for sex?" Wade asked, still trying to wake up and not quite following everything she had just rambled on about. She slapped him on the arm.

"Jerk!" she snapped. He nodded and turned over, evidently trying to fall asleep again. "The point is that I didn't imagine anything!"

Before he could say anything, someone started incessantly knocking at the door. Zoe yelped and Wade immediately sat up.

"Who the hell is visiting at this time of night?" wondered Wade aloud. Zoe shook her head and quickly crossed the room to her door, trying to get the knocking to stop.

"Zoe! Zoe, you've gotta help us!" Rose Hattenberger practically spilled over the threshold as soon as Zoe opened the door.

"What? Rose, what's wrong?" inquired Zoe, but Rose was already pulling her out the door and down the stairs.

Back inside, Wade was looking for a flashlight, but could hear the whole conversation.

"We were at a party and she drank too much, I think. She passed out and now we can't get her to wake up. We don't know what to do, Zoe!"

"Okay, okay, Rose. Calm down! Who is 'she'?" asked Zoe.

"She's in the car, Zoe! We need to help her!" exclaimed Rose.

"Rose, what were you thinking?" demanded Zoe, as Wade came rushing outside, flashlight in hand. Rose, Zoe, and that guy Rose had a crush on were all standing outside a car. Zoe had her hands on her hips and looked every bit the worried aunt part, which Wade found surprisingly sexy.

"Hey, what's goin' on? You need my help?" called Wade as he came down the steps.

Rose looked over at Wade and rose her eyebrows. Wade glanced at himself and realized what the situation looked like. It was the middle of the night, and he was at Zoe's house wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

"What was _I_ thinking?" murmured Rose to Zoe, nodding her head over at Wade.

Zoe sighed and shooed her over, "Ugh, we'll talk later. Come on, let's get her out of the car."

Wade sensed an opportunity to be of use and jogged over to the open car door, handing the flashlight to Rose's dreamboy who just stood there, "Alright, move over, take this."

As Wade leaned inside, he realized just who he was helping. He was looking down into the pale, blonde face of Magnolia Breeland, the other daughter of Dr. Brick Breeland and kid sister of Lemon Breeland. Oh, this was not going to sit well with either of them.

"What happened?" Zoe asked again from behind him.

"She was drinking a lot, I guess. Like a lot! Fruit punch and vodka," said the guy, stumbling through the sentence. Damn, Wade could not for the life of him remember that kid's name.

As Wade set Magnolia down gently on the lawn chair Zoe had pulled up, whoever was driving the car quickly pulled away.

"Hey!" Wade called after them, "Where's he going?"

Zoe ignored everybody and knelt down next to Magnolia. She pulled Magnolia's head straight and leaned down to listen.

"Airways clear, but her breathing's shallow. Wade, go get your car. We have to bring her to my office immediately," Zoe said, sounding just like the doctor she was trained to be. Wade was wide-eyed and could only manage a soft "okay" before he jumped up and starting running for his car.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Wade pulled in front of Zoe's house, preparing to drop her off. They had spent the rest of the night at the practice with Lemon, trying to keep her from completely losing it on Magnolia.<p>

"So..," said Wade awkwardly, fingers drumming on the steering wheel, "That was a fun night."

"You and I," said Zoe with her eyes closed, leaning back on the headrest, "obviously have different ideas of what 'fun' is."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that," drawled Wade, looking over at her with a cocky halfsmile, "You got to spend the night with me."

"Yes," replied Zoe, opening and then rolling her eyes, "Because that is every woman's dream. One night with Wade Kinsella."

"They probably would rather spend it at my place, not at a medical practice. We can fix that tonight, though," said Wade, smirking at Zoe. She just sighed and gathered her things, opening the door.

"Thanks for the ride, Wade. I'll see you later," she said, then gave him a wave. As Zoe walked around the hood of his car, he got out, too.

"What are you doing?" asked Zoe, like he was an idiot. Stopping on the porch steps, she turned around to discover him right behind her. "Look, thanks for staying last night. Even if I was afraid, it's morning and I'm not."

Wade leaned against the bannister, enjoying one of the rare moments when he had to look up, instead of down, on her. "Look, I'm no Dr. Phil or whatever, but in my experience when I'm having trouble sleeping, it-"

"Wait!" Zoe interrupted, "Lemme guess. It's because you have something unresolved in your life that you need to get rid of?"

"No, it's 'cause I need to get laid." Wade smiled as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Okay..." said Zoe, backing up the stairs, "Thank you for the expert psychological insight."

"No problem," Wade said, smiling even bigger.

"You may go," said Zoe, shooing him away before turning to her door, "Your services are no longer needed."

Wade laughed as he started walking toward his car, "My services haven't even been used, Doc! Your loss."

Her response was the door slamming. He chuckled and grabbed his keys to unlock the door. Eventually, she would crack and take him up on his offers. It was only a matter of time.

As he was turning the key, he heard Zoe's scream again. Just like last night, his body reacted before he knew what was happening and he was running through her door. Striding into her room, he saw no evidence of blood or even that she was in any danger. Anger replaced his concern.

"What?" he demanded, "What is it this time?"

"You see her, too, right?" Zoe whispered, pointing across the room. Wade glanced over and was surprised to see an older woman sitting in a chair. He hadn't noticed her before, but she definitely didn't look like an axe murderer.

"Mom, what are you doing?" cried Zoe, advancing toward the mysterious visitor.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said, eyeing Wade and then looking back at Zoe. Wade instantly slapped on his Southern charm grin and walked forward to stand behind Zoe.

"What? No!" said Zoe, responding to her mother with a disgusted face. Ouch. It didn't faze his expression, though. He reached out and shook her hand.

"Well, howdy, ma'am. I'm Wade," he said, looking into her eyes, "Must say I didn't expect to meet Zoe's mother so soon in our relationship."

"Oh my God, gross!" exclaimed Zoe from behind him, "Go fix the fuse box!"

Wade leaned down and whispered, "It's a rollercoaster ride, but I don't want it to stop." He stood up straight and stepped back. "Anyway, good to meet you! Bye." He said the last words to Zoe and planted a kiss on the side of her head, before strutting out the door, laughing to himself. That would get him an earful later, but it was so worth it to see the look on their faces.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Wade," said Lavon on the phone, "Have you seen Zoe recently?"<p>

"Not since yesterday morning when I dropped her off," replied Wade, flipping through the channels, "Why?"

"She stole my Navigator..I think she went off to try to find Leon Mercy. She's gonna get lost in the woods."

"Okay...why are you telling me this? Go get her," said Wade, not really listening. Nobody gave Zoe as much credit as she deserved. She might be from Manhattan, but she could probably figure out how to survive in the wilderness and get home.

"I'm about to go into a board meeting, but I need my Navigator tonight. I have a date. Can you go find her?" Lavon's voice was pleading, so Wade sighed.

"Fine."

"Thanks, man."

* * *

><p>Wade set out an hour later down the road out of Bluebell. Knowing Zoe, she'd go to the last place she had claimed to have seen Leon. That was about ten miles out of town.<p>

He found the Navigator soon enough, but it was empty, which wasn't a huge surprise. Zoe wouldn't return to her car until she had her evidence. He pulled over to park next to the Navigator and grabbed a GPS out of the glove compartment so he wouldn't get lost, too. Stepping out of the car, he marveled at how warm it was, considering it was late October. Putting on his sunglasses, he advanced into the woods.

* * *

><p>"Zoe!" he called a few minutes later. So far, there had been no sign of her or Leon and he was getting agitated, "Zoe! It's time to give this up and come home!"<p>

Wade heard a twig snap behind him and spun around to find a squirrel staring at him, wide-eyed. Wade exhaled and was just turning away when he noticed what the squirrel had in it's paws. A piece of bread. And not just any bread. Blue bread. That meant it was from Bluebell Bakery, which specialized in blue bread.

Zoe must have brought a snack and dropped some pieces. That meant she was close.

Wade grinned like a predator closing in on it's prey. Oh, he couldn't wait to find her, huddled and scared, so he could swoop in and save her like a hero again.

For about ten more minutes, he hiked deeper into the forest, occasionally calling out her name, but mostly listening.

Suddenly, he heard Zoe's voice and he couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. She sounded okay, so he followed her patiently.

"Leon? It's Dr. Hart!" she kept calling, as if she actually believed he would answer. After a few minutes of this, he zeroed in on where she was. For the third time in two days, he heard her scream. This really needed to stop. His heart couldn't take much more of that.

Stepping around a tree, he found her caught in some sort of snare.

"What are you doing here?" she called, after recovering from her shock.

"Well," began Wade, stepping forward carefully, "Lavon says you stole his car and asked me to come out here and find ya." He paused to tug at the wire she was caught on. "Knowing full well you'd get lost out here. And die."

"Well, you both can laugh later," she said breathlessly, "Can you just-?"

Wade shushed her before she had finished the sentence, which did not go over well with her.

"Did you just shush me?" she said, raising her voice, "Do not shush me!"

"SHH!" he said again, and Zoe went silent, probably because she heard the crunching of fallen branches behind them, too.

Wade turned around, trying not to make any noise, but at the moment, a figure appeared behind a gathering of trees.

No way.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

Leon Mercy was standing in front of them. But he was also holding a hatchet.

Wade didn't know what to think or do, so he stood his ground. Zoe had other ideas, though.

"Leon, are you hurt?" he heard her call anxiously, "You look hurt."

"Still pretty good for a guy who's been dead for a year," said Wade, grabbing a large-looking stick as he stood up.

"You're wound is bleeding," Zoe said, "It could be infected. We need to get you to a hospital."

"No," Leon grunted, limping forward.

"Yes!" order Zoe. Wade glanced down at her with wide eyes. Was she completely nuts? This woman never ceased to amaze him.

"Zoe," Wade said, trying to keep his voice calm, "Traditionally, in a yes-no situation, argument goes to the guy with the _hatchet_."

"He made it all the way to my place on that leg," Zoe countered. She followed Leon with her eyes as he crept closer and closer, hatchet still in hand, "He needs my help. He could be confused." She spoke to him now, "There's people looking for you! Do you know that you have a wife and child?"

Leon took a few more shaky steps forward and looked at Zoe and Wade, both of them holding their breath.

"Why the hell do you think I'm out here?"

With one giant swing, Leon brought the hatchet down on the wire keeping Zoe in place. Zoe screamed, but he just stood up and took a few steps back, then beckoned for them to follow him. Wade quickly helped Zoe to her feet and together, they set out behind him.

"Whatcha think?" whispered Wade to Zoe, "Axe murderer?"

"No!" she whispered back, "I don't know. Maybe?"

* * *

><p>"So, I take it, you faked your own death?"<p>

It turns out, Leon wasn't an axe murderer. He just had one heck of a story.

"Yep, it was best for everyone. I was a screwup. Wade remembers, huh?" Leon called to Wade who was leaning against a tree. Leon had led Zoe and Wade to his campsite and Zoe was stitching Leon up.

"You could be a little wild, I recall," he said, evading the question. Leon rolled his eyes.

"I think the word is," Leon winced as Zoe pulled the thread tight, "dangerous."

"Yeah," said Wade, looking away, "yeah, that, too. As I recall."

"You know the night I saved those people from burnin' up," began Leon, referring to how Leon had saved a family from a burning building, earning him hero-status in Bluebell only months before his 'death', "I was headed home from a poker game. So drunk, I don't remember doin' it. For all I know, I went into that house to rob it. Woke up, and overnight, I had gone from town screwup to local hero, just like that!

Wade and Zoe looked at each other, then quickly looked down. Wade knew how Leon felt, because his father had the same reputation. And, slowly, Leon's reasoning for faking his own death dawned on him.

"But I knew," continued Leon, "I was the exact same person I was before that fire. Even if they chose to ignore it."

"So, you went out on top," finished Wade. Zoe whipped her head around.

"What do you mean, 'out on top'?" she asked.

"He peaked," Wade explained, his eyes on Leon, watching shame wash over his face, "Went as high as he was gonna go. And he knew it. Why sit around and watch it all go to hell?"

"So, you just gave everything up?" asked Zoe, turning to face Leon again who suddenly seemed to find a spot on his leg very interesting, "Just like that?"

"My baby would look at me," began Leon, looking off into another time, "Like I was the greatest thing on Earth. And I knew that those same eyes were gonna see me comin' home drunk and crazy or maybe even worse, so I took my boat out and I jumped overboard. And now, and _forever_, his daddy is a hero."

Zoe's eyes narrowed, "He doesn't even know he has a daddy. Believe me, he is not better off."

"You don't have kids, do ya?" asked Leon. Zoe looked down at the wounds she was currently bandaging.

"No."

"You cannot POSSIBLY imagine the choices and you might not understand why I did what I did, but I did what I thought was right for my child," concluded Leon, taking a deep steadying breath. Zoe just looked at him.

Behind them, Wade stared at Zoe. He could practically see the hurt little girl wondering where her father had gone. Zoe was just trying to protect a little boy from experiencing that hurt.

Leon led them back to Wade's car and then left them as quickly as he had shown up. The drive back to town was silent, Zoe staring out the window almost the entire way there and it was night by the time Wade pulled up in front of Zoe's place. Before she could move, he got out of the car and was on her side to open the door.

"Thanks," she whispered, obviously still thinking about her father. The look on her face was breaking his heart and he felt like he needed to say something, anything, to cheer her up.

"Zoe?" he asked, looking down at her. She turned her face up toward him, her eyes blank.

"Yeah?" she said, but Wade couldn't think of anything to say that would make her feel any better.

"Just...I'm sorry," he choked out, looking into her eyes even though he wanted to stare at the ground. Showing any kind of emotion in front of this lady made him nervous.

"For what?" She asked, but he thought she knew what he was talking about, so he didn't reply. Just shook his head before turning back to his car.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He called, looking back over his shoulder. Zoe smiled ever so slightly and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Wade."

"No problem."

* * *

><p>Whew! Oh my goodness. This chapter. The things I could say about this chapter. It felt ridiculously long to write. Hence why it took so long. And for that, my loyal, lovely ladies (or dudes. Y'know. I'm not biased.) I am truly sorry. I just...had NO motivation to write this. Lord, I am just glad it's over. Anyway, I promise to get Chapter 7 out soon!<p>

PLEASE let me know what you think! Review! Any little words really do help. Every time I saw another review, I'd make myself write down another few paragraphs when I otherwise would not have.

Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 5 or on any chapter since it was posted!

**SomethingSuper1341**

I've really come to look forward to your reviews and you've become a regular! That's so cool. I have a regular reader. :D I like how in-depth you get. You tell me what specifically you liked or didn't like. I love it! Please keep reading/reviewing!

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